LIVE ("lite") Explorer - 3/26 - 4/9

[Travelcat2]

Will try to answer some questions.

 

Rick, yes the Master Suite does have two bedrooms. We are using the second bedroom for the drawers and closet (which are better than the drawers in the master bedroom and the space in the master bedroom closet is tight -- we need extra space due to my over packing addiction). The Master Bathroom is nicer in the Grand Suite but the living room is larger and has more comfortable furniture.

 

Gerry - so good to see you back on the Regent board!:D Of course, you are right about Oceania ships - they name their suites differently. I equate the Master Suite on Regent to the Owner's Suite on Oceania - both being the top suites on the ship (excluding the "Regent Suite" on the Explorer). Also the Vista Suite on Oceania and Grand Suite on Regent are the second highest category.

 

The Explorer suites are so confusing. The only way that I can tell if 918 was originally an Explorer Suite (that has two bathrooms instead of the former Seven Seas Suites that have 1 1/2 bathrooms) is when I can refer to the old Regent book that I have at home. I do remember that the original Explorer suites were under the pool deck or under the bridge (both locations that I would not prefer). So, off the top of my head I would say that you have booked a former Seven Seas Suite (not sure of the sq. footage but your TA will definitely know). If I don't respond to your question by the time I get home, please ask me again.

 

Paul - you are challenging me (in a good way because you are kind and your posts/questions are fair). I'll respond to your questions according to your numbers.

 

1. My problems are not with the internet onboard the ship -- it is with Cruise Critic. As you know, CC changed formats a month or so ago and any issues are being reported on a special thread. The way the new format works depends on whether you have Windows 15 or some other version of Windows - which version of Explorer you have (not to be confused with the ship), whether or not you are using Chrome - if you are using Firefox, etc. etc. etc. CC is working very hard to work with all of the different formats, phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, etc. I did report the problem yesterday. The speed of the internet onboard the ship remains fine but CC seems to like my newish HP Laptop and Kindle more than the desktop computers on the ship.

 

2. I report what I hear from officers and sometimes things change. I don't know if it is a matter of truthfulness or changes in plans. Yes, the first time there were reports of "whistling doors" was in November but the issue was not widespread until the crossing to Miami. While I do not know this for sure, if I were to throw out a theory (I'm good at doing that:halo:), I would say that the builders may have sent people to Miami and they may have fixed some of the suites. I would also speculate that, since the ship is under warranty in Genoa, the builder may not want work done in the U.S. by contractors that they do not know. Three Regent ships were built in Italy and one in France. It seems that Italy builds more cruise ships than any other country which gives them the most expertise.

 

I'm afraid of losing this post so I will post and continue.

[Travelcat2]

Continued from previous post:

 

Paul, in terms of what people that will be boarding in the upcoming weeks know or do not know is beyond anything that I would be aware of. If they have a good TA (or if they read CC) they will know about the issue. The same question could be asked of people booking the Navigator. Many people obviously do not know how bad the vibration can be as some posters seem surprised/shocked by something that most of us have known for years. IMO, I would rather have a whistling door that can be corrected than be stuck in an aft cabin that vibrates - the drawers open and slam shut, etc.

 

Speaking of vibration, I have yet to see Abhi - Staff Captain but will speak with him about it. As is typical in the area where we are sailing, the seas have become choppy. I think that some posters from previous Explorer cruises may be talking about the same thing that I am but calling it a "vibration" while that is not what either my DH (an engineer) or I call it. The Captain had a good term but is mostly a rolling motion - - just as you would have on any ship. And the creaks are also typical of being on a ship. On the Explorer, it never feels like we are hitting a "whale" (the description we have used on the Navigator - something that happens too often for us). We also do not feel "shuddering" while at sea but did feel some interesting movement as we were maneuvering out of Miami. I suspect that many of us are used to the "feel" of the Mariner and Voyager when it maneuvers into and out of ports. As most know, these ships have "pods" while the Explorer doesn't.

 

Dinner tonight in CR -- the night of the Captain's Reception. We no longer attend this event but many people do enjoy it. For us it simply means that the lounge that we will be going to will be less crowded at 6:00 pm.

[ronrick1943]

Travelcat2, Thanks, however I looked into the Master Suite----I guess your right because they are already sold out on the cruises we've booked. I sure we'll be happy in a Grand Suite, but will try for a Master for the 4th cruise we pick.

Rick

[ronrick1943]

Travbelcat2, I know this has nothing to do with your cruise-but how are the Grand Suites on the Mariner?

[BarbarianPaul]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Jackie...enjoy Bermuda on Wednesday.

We board the Mexico bound Star Princess tomorrow. I fear the chair hogs will be running rampant, but I'm totally ready to move all of their belongings to other chairs randomly, and feign complete surprise if anyone complains!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Travelcat2]

Travbelcat2, I know this has nothing to do with your cruise-but how are the Grand Suites on the Mariner?

 

Gosh - you are challenging my memory. We have only stayed in a Grand Suite once on the Mariner and I recall really liking it but do not remember the specific reasons. I do remember that the living room was larger than on the Explorer. We like the Mariner very much but prefer the upper suites on the Voyager (again, we prefer the Master Suites over the Grand Suites on the Voyager both of which we have stayed in a couple of times...... however, that wasn't the question).

 

One of my favorite suites on the Mariner is the Seven Seas Aft Suite. The living room is huge The only quirk is that you have to walk through the closet to get into the master bathroom.

 

P.S. Want to make a correction to my post about Cruise Critic's new format. I obviously meant to write "Windows 10" - not "15" ....... think I'm a few years ahead of myself.

[Travelcat2]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Jackie...enjoy Bermuda on Wednesday.

We board the Mexico bound Star Princess tomorrow. I fear the chair hogs will be running rampant, but I'm totally ready to move all of their belongings to other chairs randomly, and feign complete surprise if anyone complains!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Love your idea of moving belongings to other chairs randomly -- looking forward to hear how that works!:D

[towel-animal]

Do you know if with the new Compass Rose menu/concept introduced on the Explorer, does the Captain's Reception dinner feature a special menu? Or is the same CR menu as any other night?

[Travelcat2]

There are still special items on the menu for Captain's Reception, Seven -Seas Society night and the Captain's Farewell, but these night's are not quite as "special" as before the introduction of the new CR menu.

[Portolan]

Do you know if with the new Compass Rose menu/concept introduced on the Explorer, does the Captain's Reception dinner feature a special menu? Or is the same CR menu as any other night?

 

There are a half dozen daily features on the CR menu...tonight's had whole Maine lobster after the Captain's Reception. However, with new expanded CR menu, you can get lobster (at least tails) every night. And Dover sole, and a great many other favorites EVERY night so CR isn't a "must do" in the way it has been in the past after the Captain's Reception. This is a GOOD thing since CR will be less jammed on those nights. We headed to Setti Mare tonight which was very good.

 

A few other early observations:

 

No problems with wireless internet connections anywhere I've been on the ship. Speed has been OK...you just need to have realistic expectations. Moving a lot of photos would be a problem. I don't.

 

Whistling doors: at least part of the problem is just turning the latch with some force. Came back to our cabin tonight after dinner and our door was whistling away. The stewards go out on the verandah to remove the furniture cushions. When they relatched the door, the handle wasn't turned far enough. You could see that it wasn't verticle. I gave it a forceful twist to vertical and that stopped the whistling completely. Try it, it may work for you. They still need a better, more easily engaged seal.

 

Pacific Rim is our new favorite restaurant. We were great fans of Lattitudes and never considered Prime 7 an improvement. We are happy campers again.

[Caroldoll]

Grand Suite is very impractical in my opinion. The living room is useless. Very narrow path to the rear with a table that is small and chairs can not be fully pulled out.

 

The couch is a sleeper with the springs coming to the forefront. One large couch.

 

There is a chair that is so far back that you need to be a bat to be comfortable in it. Trying to get up is a chore and then the chair clumps forward. LOL.

 

Bedroom is huge. There is one huge empty wall and the butler put a banquet table on it so I could leave a piece of luggage open instead of emptying it.

 

Bathroom is nice, but to get to turn on the water, you must walk through/under the overhead shower head and if you get it too hot by accident you are scalded and if you turn it too far off you get icewater thrown on you, LOL.

 

Small problems. We booked a Master Suite for the next two cruises in December.

[Silver Sweethearts]

Caroldoll -

 

We would appreciate knowing which Grand Suite you were in. Thanks!

[Zqueeze1]

Pool with major wave action

 

Empty chairs

 

Upper deck area. Beautiful day

 

Z and TB

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GOARMY]

Quick First Impression(s) from long-time Regent cruiser--but 1st time on Explorer.

 

No surprises. Top service and accommodations. Have met several Officers and staff with whom we cruised before on other ships. No whistling veranda doors; but a "creak" and groan sound from time to time in our suite. Have noticed several "electrician" crews out and about in interior hallways. Maybe attending to seal issues.

 

Off for lunch with our TA.

 

GoARMY!

[Island Cruiser]

Love that fabulous wave action photo. Friends tell us one lady got a real splash taking pool deck photos!

[Travelcat2]

A couple of comments about the Master Suite (in response to a previous poster). There is no comparison in the size or layout of the Master Suite(s) on the Voyager or the Owner's Suite on Oceania's Riviera and the one on Explorer. I loved the size of the living room on the Voyager (they have two types of Master Suites - both are lovely).

 

The suites on the Voyager and Riviera are great for entertaining. The Master Suite living room on Explorer can accommodate a few people but the best place to entertain would definitely be on the balcony where there is a table for six (inside the suite there is only a table for four). IMO, it is not set up for entertaining.

 

As noted previously, the bathroom in the Grand Suite was nicer than in the Master Suite (the shower is a matter of learning how to turn on the water in the shower -- we never had problems in either suite). I like the 3/4 bath in the Master Suite although some would find it small. I love having my clothes in a separate closet from my DH - it just works for us (as does separate bathrooms).

 

Overall, I like the Master Suite better than other suites on Explorer (it figures I guess). Having the opportunity to book this suite at the great prices that were available prior to the launch of the Explorer made it possible.

 

I'm still analyzing the movement of the ship which is definitely different than any other ship we have been on. In terms of soot....... as suspected, there is no soot anywhere aft - not on our balcony - not outside of La Veranda or anywhere else. While I believe that it happened once - it is not likely that it will happen again.

 

Service remains good to excellent. Even though it was the Captain's Reception last night, it did not slow down service. We plan on dining there again tonight.

 

A word about a cruise with many repeat customers onboard. There are less people on the pool deck (even though the weather is sunny), people don't pile into La Veranda at noon so it is calm and easy to get great service. Likewise, no one piles into CR at 6:30 p.m. Many of don't care if we get a window seat or not (after all, the sea is always outside and we can spend all day looking at it if we want to)

 

The lectures are heavily attended. I am really enjoying Ronald E. Bowers, a former Head Prosecutor with the Los Angeles District Attorneys office. He will be talking about "What Went Wrong in the O.J. Simpson Trial", "The Shooting of Robert Kennedy", "Manson Family Murders" and several more. This is really up my alley since I grew up in Los Angeles when many of these things took place.

 

If music is your thing, Dr. Carol Reynolds is onboard - she is a music historian.

 

Must give a shout out to "Z" for posting photos for me. There are definitely people that got wet trying to take a photo of the waves in the pool - fortunately I was not one of them. I'm going to send "Z" a photo of a new (or perhaps just new to me) dessert in LV at lunch. It is a tiny ice cream cone filled will fruit and topped with a different fruit mousse every day, It gives me the taste of something sweet without all of the calories.

 

That is all for now.

[Hambagahle]

Jackie - I ENVY you being in Bermuda. One of my most favourite places on earth. have a great time.

 

My question is really - is the Explorer Suite 918 (I know it is a re-classified Seven Seas Suite...because it has the half bath and not the full second bath) about the size of an Oceania Suite on Riviera. I rather think it is...but don't waste time on this issue. Just enjoy your cruise.

 

Why are we back booked on Regent? Simple really. The Panama Canal cruise we did in 2005 on the Mariner was the best cruise ever - we think - in terms of interest. And we have always wanted to do this again. So - that's why we booked this one, two years out. And are very excited about it even if the food won't (maybe) be as good as on the Riviera.

[Silver Sweethearts]

My question is really - is the Explorer Suite 918 (I know it is a re-classified Seven Seas Suite...because it has the half bath and not the full second bath) about the size of an Oceania Suite on Riviera.

 

An Oceania Suite on the Riviera should be about 1,000 square feet. The largest Explorer Suite on the Explorer appears to be 918 square feet (read: balconies included).

 

Also, we believe someone mentioned this already, but the so-called two bathrooms in the Grand Suites (at least those on Deck 12) are actually 1-3/4 baths. The second bath has a sink, toilet and shower, but no bathtub.

[Travelcat2]

Hi again Gerry! We have been to Bermuda a bit too much in the past few months. Agree that it is lovely. We have done all offered excursions in Bermuda and this time plan on taking a water taxi to the shopping area (the name slips my mind as this is after dinner and a few glasses of wine!)

 

Silver Sweethearts is correct. Both the "original" Grand and Master suites have a full bathroom and what we call in the U.S., a 3/4 bathroom (toilet, sink and shower). The Seven Seas Suites have 1 1/2 bathrooms. One bathroom has only a sink and a toilet (I believe that suite 918 falls into this category). To further confuse the issue, "some" Grand suites have 1 3/4 bathrooms and some have 1 1/2 bathrooms. Could not much more convoluted. I can only assume that you and Silver Sweethearts know the difference between a Oceania suite on Riviera and a Seven Seas or Grand suite on Explorer.

 

In terms of food, our first 38 nights on Explorer (3 cruises) had the best food that we have experienced on Regent. This cruise is very good but has not as yet met up to what we have experienced on Explorer recently. Having said that, as you know, with the exception of Jacques on Oceania, we feel that Regent has better food. Have you seen the new menu in Compass Rose? The choices are amazing and are generally well prepared.

 

We also booked an Explorer cruise two years out. My DH is having a very special birthday (having been born in England, there is a discrepancy in what day he was born. This cruise will encompass both dates). We also look forward to our Mariner and two Voyager cruises between now and then. For a variety of reasons, we no longer will be sailing on Oceania.

 

Not sure if this was helpful at all. I do hope that you enjoy Explorer. She is not only a luxurious ship but a comfortable one as well!

[Silver Sweethearts]

I can only assume that you and Silver Sweethearts know the difference between a Oceania suite on Riviera and a Seven Seas or Grand suite on Explorer.

 

In terms of food, our first 38 nights on Explorer (3 cruises) had the best food that we have experienced on Regent. This cruise is very good but has not as yet met up to what we have experienced on Explorer recently. Having said that, as you know, with the exception of Jacques on Oceania, we feel that Regent has better food.

 

Actually, we have never sailed Oceania. We did our research back when we had a reservation for an Oceania Suite on the Riviera once. We dropped it though when we realized we wanted to stay with smaller, all-inclusive ships.

 

We had a chance to do Australia and New Zealand on the new Seabourn Encore in February, but cancelled in favor of doing the LA-MIA trans-Canal voyage on the Explorer in January instead. We liked the Explorer and its crew. We would be interested to know how you think things have changed ship and food-wise. We wonder if Regent will be able to keep up everything they started/offered on the Explorer?

Edited March 29, 2017 by Silver Sweethearts

[RachelG]

That new dessert sounds delish. They did not have that on voyager last month.

 

George would love that lecturer, but he does not like crossings.

[Travelcat2]

That new dessert sounds delish. They did not have that on voyager last month.

 

George would love that lecturer, but he does not like crossings.

 

We aren't sure that we like crossings anymore either. We had to rebook two cruises to get onboard credits (11/18 and 2/19) and Dennis was surprised that we had another crossing. I reminded him that it was well over a year and a half away so he relaxed.

 

Dinner in CR was good - service was extremely good. There was no server onboard that we knew so we asked an officer that we've known for years who he would recommend. So, we arrived in CR with three names...... the Restaurant Mgr. quickly decided for us and we were at a table that was well out of the way of the noise a hubbub. We'll definitely dine there again.

 

I think that tomorrow night is P7 - not sure. We'll be happy to be on land tomorrow.

[Caroldoll]

The best waiter in Compass Rose on Explorer is Emmanuel. Top notch.

 

In regards to what Grand Suite I had, it was on the 7th deck, aft on the stern. Loved it with the exception of my laundry list of dislikes, LOL. Will be doing the Master Suite from now on.

[Zqueeze1]

...Must give a shout out to "Z" for posting photos for me. There are definitely people that got wet trying to take a photo of the waves in the pool - fortunately I was not one of them. I'm going to send "Z" a photo of a new (or perhaps just new to me) dessert in LV at lunch. It is a tiny ice cream cone filled will fruit and topped with a different fruit mousse every day, It gives me the taste of something sweet without all of the calories.

 

 

 

That is all for now.

 

 

My pleasure.

 

Tiny ice cream cone with fruit and mousse on top. Really good.

 

 

Z and TB

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Travelcat2]

For anyone keeping track, this morning we felt and heard the vibration and all of the negative things that have been discussed. Most important to know is that this occurred while docking (about as annoying for 5 minutes as the noise and vibration on the other ships when they dock). Again, what we normally feel on this ship is more of a rolling motion (from side to side). Unlike our last transatlantic cruise when we were on deck 12 forward, my DH has had mild seasickness from time to time (solved quickly by 1/4 of a Sturgeon tablet). He also wears his electronic wrist band which helps a lot.

 

We are docked next to Oceania's Riviera. It will be interesting to see the size comparison. I'll take a photo if the angle of the two ships permits it. The Riviera is a gorgeous ship (the most beautiful ship we have sailed on - before the Explorer debuted) but is considerably larger than Explorer.l.

 

Going out to Hamilton this afternoon. Dinner is P7.

 

P.S. Gerry, sorry that I wasn't understanding your question. We have not been in an Oceania Suite (only the Vista and PH suites so I can't answer from personal knowledge). FYI - we prefer the Vista Suite on the Riviera than the Grand Suite on Explorer.